Super 2000, also known as S2000, is an FIA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification is split to cover both rally and touring car racing. Super 2000 rally cars are also permitted to compete in Super 2000 World Rally Championship events.[1] The goal of the Super 2000 classification is to allow more manufacturers and privateers to race by reducing the cost of a competitive car. The World Rally Championship currently has five manufacturers fielding teams, while private teams rely on older cars from current manufacturers or from "works" teams that have left the WRC, such as Subaru, Škoda, or Mitsubishi. As of 2015, the World Touring Car Championship, which is open to Super 2000 cars, has four makes of vehicles competing, these being Citroën, Honda, Lada and Chevrolet, with independent teams generally using older cars from previous seasons.

In order to cut costs and shorten development time, the Super 2000 rally cars originally used a common control gearbox and drivetrain made by a French company, Sadev. The FIA has since announced that Xtrac[2] and Ricardo Consulting Engineers will be allowed to also manufacture S2000 gearboxes to FIA specification. This is to further cut costs by introducing competition into gearbox supply.

In effect these new rules allowed Ford to build from scratch their S2000 Fiesta vehicles in Australia, in as little as 14 weeks, starting out with a Super 1600 chassis and rollcage.

There was development and testing of a Dacia Logan S2000 car in 2005 but it was not brought into competition.[7]

The new technical regulations for the future FIAWorld Rally Car were introduced in 2011. S2000 cars would become the new WRC cars, and would be powered by a 1600cc turbo engine instead of the 2000cc used previously. The WRC car would thus be based on the current 2011 model Super 2000 cars, fitted with a supplementary kit, which includes turbo and rear-wing additions.[8] The kit must be able to be fitted or removed within a defined time limit, to be determined.[8][9]

Notes:

A From 2012 the Regional Rally Car (commonly known as RRC) class was introduced. These cars became fitted with a 1.6 turbocharged engines similar to those used in the WRC cars, and with a smaller restrictor diameter of 30mm instead of 33mm. And with a body kit that also had to comply to the Super 2000 regulations.[4]

South Africa was the first country in the world to run Super 2000 cars in rallying. Toyota South Africa and Volkswagen South Africa each built 2 cars to compete in the South African Rally Championship in 2005.[citation needed]